


L'Amour et L'Humour

by randomaquarius



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fashion & Models, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, F/F, Lesbian AU, Model AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:08:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23258935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomaquarius/pseuds/randomaquarius
Summary: Gigi Goode is a model with an ambition.  She is flown to Paris to walk in a runway show where she meets her new mentor/partner, who she promptly falls head over heels for.
Relationships: Gigi Goode/Nicky Doll, Nicky Doll/Gigi Goode
Comments: 2
Kudos: 59





	1. La Nouvelle Fille

**Author's Note:**

> This idea’s been bouncing around in my head since the premier and I just HAD to write it. Also, this is a chance for me to practice my French during this "Coronacation."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gigi lands in Paris for her first ever runway show only to be introduced to a very beautiful mentor.

“Cent dix-sept, Place de la Madeleine. C’est huit euros.”

“Just a moment!” Gigi hastily counted on her fingers until she got to the number the taxi driver had said. Huit, that was… eight. Yes. She handed the driver eight euros and stepped out onto the wet pavement, holding the white neat white binder containing her resume over her head so as not to get her hair wet. “Thank you, er, merci.” The driver nodded before driving off down the street.

Gigi looked up at the cold stone face of the building in front of her. This was it. This building right in front of her was her big break. She’d been modeling for six months in various small magazines when her agency alerted her to a runway opportunity. In Paris. The fashion capital of the world. Of course, she accepted it, right after calling her mom and telling her the good news. Her mom was her biggest cheerleader, and it was in fact she who had sown many of the outfits she’d worn. She only wished her mom could be with her in the moment, because even though she’d been exceedingly confident that morning, her hands were shaking as she went to knock on the door.

Before she’d even had a chance to knock twice, the door swung open to reveal a woman who could only be described as odd. She appeared to be about forty, and she was wearing a very interesting hat atop her mop of platinum blonde hair. The hat in question resembled a very flattened raccoon with electric blue eyes. Her clothes were just as odd, and Gigi wondered for a moment if she had the wrong address. “Are you here for the fashion show?” the woman asked.

“I… yes.” Gigi answered, still a bit flustered by the woman’s bizarre appearance.

“Ah, wonderful.” She stuck out her hand for Gigi to shake. “My name is Yekaterina Petrovna Zamolodchikova, but you can just call me Katya. And you are-?”

“Gigi. Gigi Goode.”

“Welcome, Gigi. Oh! It’s raining! Why don’t you come on inside and we’ll get you ready for the runway?” Still holding on to the hand she’d been shaking, she pulled Gigi inside the entryway and led her to one of the ballrooms in the building. Gigi barely had time to marvel at the beautiful architecture before she was swept into a room full of swishing gowns and people chattering and, well, beauty. 

Katya scanned the crowd and popped her hand up when someone caught her eye. “Ah! Mademoiselle!” She dragged Gigi over to a table of girls doing their makeup and plopped her in a chair next to one of the girls. “Nicky, je vous présente la nouvelle fille. Elle est la partenaire qu’on a cherché.”

Nicky was also a platinum blonde, but her hair had been slicked back into a sleek bob. Like all the other models in the room, she was strikingly tall and beautiful.

Katya looked down at her watch and jumped. “Zut, je suis tard! À bientôt mes filles, et bonne de la chance!” she said quickly before bustling away.

The girl Katya had called Nicky looked down at Gigi. “Bonjour, je m’appelle Nicky, je suis ton nouveau mentor, et vous vous appelez?” Gigi, not having understood a word she said, sat there staring blankly at her.

“Um, oui?” she stuttered meekly.

“Ah. Americain.” Nicky said. “Hello, my name is Nicky; I’m your new mentor. What’s your name?”

“My name is Gigi. Gigi Goode.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Gigi Goode. I look forward to working with you.” she said with a smile. “I’ll be doing your makeup today, but you will do it all yourself in the future. Jackie, pouvez-vous prendre les vêtements pour Mademoiselle Goode, s’il vous plaît?” The girl she had just spoken to, a girl with yellow sunglasses and a beehive hairdo, nodded and walked over to a clothing rack. She rifled through the plastic garment bags a little before taking one off of the rack and over to Nicky. 

“Thank you.” Nicky said, checking the name on the small stack of papers that had been fastened to the hanger. She took these papers off and laid the garments over the back of a nearby chair. “Okay.” She opened one of the bags that was sitting on the table and took out foundation, concealer, powder, contour, blush, and an assortment of eyebrow pencils, eye shadows, lashes, and lipsticks. She started doing her makeup, putting on eyebrows and a light layer of base makeup before moving on to her eyes. “There are only seven models in the show, and we’re doing it in two parts; fall and spring. This is your spring look.” She held up the garment bag. “When you’re finished with the spring portion, you’ll come back here and change into your fall look. You’ll be going sixth; after Heidi and before Crystal. Got it?”

Gigi nodded, trying to take in all the information that was being thrown at her.

“Good. I’ll see you backstage.” Nicky winked at her before turning and walking away.

Gigi made her way to a changing area and put on her spring outfit. It was nice and fit her surprisingly well. 

“Five minutes, ladies! Make your way backstage!”

She followed the small crowd of people to a little backstage area. She caught a glimpse of Nicky in a short dress draped in purple flowers touching up her makeup. Girls were beginning to line up. Heidi and Crystal were the girls who were supposed to go before and after her, but she didn’t know who they were. She looked around for Nicky, but she was gone. A girl in heavy makeup noticed her distress and walked up to her.

“Hey!” she said. “Do you need help with something?”

“I’m looking for Heidi and Crystal. I’m supposed to be in between them for the fashion show.”

“Oh, so you’re the new girl. I’m Crystal.” she stuck her hand out for Gigi to shake.

“Gigi.”

“Nice to meet you. You’re gonna be right here in front of me in line.”

“Thank you!”

“No problem.”

“Alright ladies, the show is starting. Go on out, Brita.” The woman in front of Nicky, Brita, she had been called, walked out into the lights, letting her waterfall of blue tulle cascade out behind her. Nicky was next in her purple flowered dress. After her came a girl named Widow in some sort of neon coveralls. Next was Jackie, the girl who had retrieved Gigi’s outfit from the clothing rack. She was wearing a cute 60s inspired dress. After Jackie was Heidi, the girl in front of Gigi. Her outfit looked something like a butterfly costume. The headpiece fell off halfway down the runway, but she carried on like nothing had happened.

Gigi felt a hand on her shoulder, and suddenly she was out on the runway. She strutted out confidently and paused at the end like she’d been taught back in America. As she turned around to walk back she saw Crystal in the wings giving her the thumbs up. She hurried backstage and into the ballroom to get changed for the fall portion of the show. 

Nicky was standing in front of the mirror checking her outfit over when Gigi got back to the station where she’d had her makeup done. She was wearing a black sleeveless jumpsuit over a crisp white shirt. She had donned faux spectacles and a sheer wide brimmed hat.

“You look beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

Gigi put on her fall outfit and again made her way into the backstage area. The fall portion of the show flew by, and soon Gigi was taking off her makeup and letting down her hair.

“So that was your first runway show?” Nicky asked.

“Yeah.”

“You did good.”

“Thanks.” Gigi checked her reflection in the mirror one last time, put her phone in her bag, and stood up to leave.

“Wait!” Nicky said. She turned. “We’ll be working together again, let me give you my number.” She searched around for a pen and scribbled her number on a nearby scrap of paper, thrusting it into Gigi’s hand. “Text me tonight.”

Gigi nodded before going out to meet her Uber. She sat in the backseat of the car and sighed.

***

Gigi sat on the edge of her hotel bed fresh out of the shower with her hair up in a towel, phone in hand, trying to work out what to say to Nicky. She tapped out a message. 

_ Hey.  _

She quickly deleted said message. She couldn’t just say “hey,” Nicky might not know who she was. “Hey” seemed too informal, and this was a business relationship. 

She put her phone down on the bed and stood up, letting out an exasperated sigh. She couldn’t figure out why this was so hard. Nicky was many things, but scary wasn’t one of them. But if that was the case, why was she so intimidated by her? She’d only just met the girl today, but she couldn’t get her out of her mind, what with the way her hair framed her face and her chic clothes fit her perfectly. She was confident and beautiful and… and… beautiful.

Gigi popped back into the bathroom to brush her teeth, and when she came back she picked up her phone again, tapping out a new message. 

_ Hey! This is Gigi from the runway show.  _

Before she could change her mind, she hit send and put her phone face down on the bedside table. That would have to do. She reached over and turned out the light, rolling over to sleep.

***

The soft pinging of her phone woke her. She picked it up, blinking at the sudden bright light in her face. When her eyes refocused, she saw a text from Nicky lighting up the screen. She hastily unlocked her phone to read the message. 

_ Hey! This is Nicky. I was wondering, if you’re free today, I’d like to show you around Paris.  _

Today? Gigi checked the time at the top of the screen. 3:45. Nicky sure was up late. She sent her reply. 

_ That sounds great! When and where should I meet you?  _

Nicky replied almost instantly. 

_ How about 9:30 at the Mairie de Clichy metro?  _

_ Sounds good! See you then _

_ See you _

Gigi put her phone back down and sighed. She’d been in Paris only 24 hours, and yet it really was a dream come true.


	2. La Ville Lumière

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicky takes Gigi on a tour and shows her how they do it in Paris.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's quite a bit of French in this one so I've provided English translations in parentheses.

Gigi stood in the middle of a bustling train station, tapping the toe of her black pump nervously on the ground. She’d chosen to go with a fairly casual all black outfit with long sleeves, something comfortable yet chic and edgy. She perked up as a train pulled into the station, straining to see the passengers as they got off the train. She watched as Nicky stepped through the doors and walked towards her. 

Nicky was wearing a navy blue and white striped top with a red skirt and matching red beret. She looked almost stereotypically French, but Gigi loved it nonetheless. “So,” she said. “How was your first night in Paris?”

“Second night, actually.” Gigi responded. “It was alright.”

“Just alright?” Nicky smiled. “Well then we’ll just have to make sure tonight is amazing. You have to get the full Paris experience while you’re here.”

Gigi’s heart leapt into her throat.

“Come on, let’s go. We’re starting with L’Arc de Triomphe but we have to get there before it gets too busy.”

The pair got on the next approaching train. They got off a couple stations later, stopping to navigate the Paris metro system. Gigi was absolutely lost, but Nicky seemed to know where she was going. A couple stops later, they got off the train for good. The two exited the station, and Nicky told her they were only three blocks away from their destination. They walked together, Nicky pointing out some of her favorite shops and couture houses as they passed them. After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at L’Arc de Triomphe. 

“My god,” Gigi said in awe. “It’s bigger than I thought it would be!”

“Oh yeah, it’s big.” They took a couple pictures for their Instagrams and then decided to move on to the next attraction as according to Nicky. They set off in a different direction, dodging crowds of tourists from all over the world. “Okay,” Nicky said. “Did you really visit Paris if you didn’t see the Eiffel Tower?”

“Is that where we’re going?”

“Of course! Hang on, it’s usually very busy.” They pushed through more tourists, and then they were there. They were standing on the lawn right in front of the tower, and Gigi’s jaw dropped as she looked up at it.

“Holy shit.” she breathed. “It’s just like the pictures!”

“It’s even better than the pictures.” Nicky chuckled. “It’s real life.”

Gigi turned her head to look at Nicky, only to find that Nicky was already looking at her. They both quickly looked away, blushing slightly.

“I’m getting hungry.” Nicky said. “There’s the most adorable little café not too far from here, we can walk from here.”

“Okay.”

*** 

“This is it.” Nicky said, stopping outside a little red building with a weathered green door and window boxes overflowing with alyssum and snapdragons. She held the door for Gigi as she entered the little building. The smell of freshly baked bread wafted through the air and Edith Piaf’s  _ La Vie En Rose  _ played softly from an old record player in the corner. An older woman emerged from the kitchen, covered in flour. “Bonjour, Madame Fournier. Comment allez-vous aujourd’hui? (Hello, Mrs. Fournier. How are you today?)”

“Bonjour, Nicky! Ça va bien. (Hello, Nicky! I’m well.)” she said gaily. “Qui est ton amie? (Who is your friend?)”

Nicky put a hand on Gigi’s shoulder. “Ça c’est Gigi. Elle est americaine. (This is Gigi. She’s American.)”

“Hello.” Gigi said shyly. Madame Fournier smiled at her and nodded her head in greeting.

“Qu’est-ce que vous voulez aujourd'hui? (What would you like today?)” she asked.

“Deux sandwichs jambon-beurre et deux pains au chocolat, s’il vous plaît. (Two ham sandwiches and two chocolate pastries, please.)”

“Ah, oui. (Alright.)”

The song changed to  _ Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien  _ as Nicky led Gigi through another weathered green door and out into a cobblestone courtyard. Wisteria hung from a wooden trellis, shading the outside seating of the café where they sat. Madame Fournier appeared a few moments later with two sandwiches and the pains au chocolat.

“Merci. (Thanks.)” Nicky said. Madame Fournier nodded her head again and went back inside the café. “So, what do you think of Paris so far?” She handed Gigi a sandwich and took a bite of her own.

“It’s beautiful, absolutely beautiful. It’s everything I dreamed it would be!” she said excitedly.

Nicky smiled. “How does it compare to where you’re from?”

“Well I’m from L.A., so it’s pretty different.”

“I’d say. How’d you get started in modeling?”

“Well it was kind of something that I’d always wanted to do. My mom’s a costume designer, so I was interested in clothes really early on.” she said. “Someone from a small little local modelling agency saw my Instagram and asked me to do a shoot for a magazine. I’d done little shoots by myself before, but that was my first actual shoot. That shoot was followed by another shoot and so on and so forth Six months later I was told about a runway opportunity in Paris, and here I am.” She took a bite of her sandwich. “How about you? How’d you start modeling?”

“Well,” Nicky sighed. “I was just a little girl from Marseilles that saw Tyra Banks and Naomi Campbell on TV and wanted to be like them. I moved to Paris when I turned 18 and started looking around for modeling jobs. I eventually landed a couple small runway gigs and some shoots, so I did a little bit of this and a little bit of that until I actually started to make a bit of money. Recently there was talk of possibly getting a sort of partner to do shoots with, and then they found you.”

Gigi blushed and looked down after hearing the last bit. Nicky’s phone rang and she answered it.

“Bonjour! Ça va, et vous?” she paused. “Elle est avec moi maintenant. Oui, je lui dirais. Le septième? D’accord. Au revoir.” She hung up and put her phone in her pocket. “I’m supposed to tell you that we have our first shoot together in two days at the same building where the runway show was.”

“Alright.”

“We have to be there at 8.”

“Will do.”

Nicky sighed and stood up. “Alright, I’ve got somewhere I need to be.”

“Bye!” Gigi said. “Thank you for showing me around.”

“No problem! Any time.” she said going in for a hug. “Hey, are you free tonight?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Some of my friends and I are going out clubbing, I was wondering if you’d want to come?”

“Yeah, sure, that sounds great! What time?”

“We’ll be at Mairie de Clichy at 11.”

“Sounds good! See you then!”

“Bye!” Nicky paid Madame for the food and left.

Gigi started off in the opposite direction before realizing something. She turned around and raced after Nicky. “Wait!” she yelled. “How do I get back to the hotel?”

***

Gigi stood in front of the bathroom mirror in her hotel room finishing her makeup. She stepped back to see her full look. It had taken a while, but she’d finally decided on a sparkly black mini dress that showed off her legs and black strappy heels and a black clutch to go with it. She checked her phone for the time. It was 10:45. She sprayed herself with perfume one last time and walked out of her room to go meet Nicky.

Nicky and her friends were already there at the station when Gigi arrived. She recognized Crystal and Jackie from the runway show, but the others she didn’t know. Nicky was wearing a black miniskirt and a glittery black crop top as well as a black beret.

“Gigi, this is Crystal, Jackie, Jan, and Dahlia.” Nicky said. “Y’all, this is Gigi.” Jackie and Jan shared a quick knowing glance, but Gigi ignored it. The girls exchanged hellos and got on the next train. They got off a couple stations later and walked a ways to a vibrant bar. They danced, drank, and generally had a good time. At about 12:45, Jan, Jackie, and Gigi went over to the bar to sit down.

“Where’re you from?” Jan yelled over the noise of the music and people.

“L.A.” Gigi yelled back. “How ‘bout you?”

“New York.” They each ordered drinks. “Nicky says you guys met at a runway show?”

“Yeah, we’re work partners now, I think.”

Jan nodded. “We’ve heard a lot about you.”

Gigi blushed. The conversation died out after a few minutes. The alcohol was beginning to kick in, and she looked around the room to try and find the rest of Nicky’s friends. Crystal was dancing with a drink in her hand, just vibing. Dahlia was up against the wall making out with a tall muscular man. Nicky herself was harder to spot, but Gigi eventually caught a glimpse of her dancing with a random girl. The random girl soon found herself in the same position as Dahlia. Gigi almost fell out of her chair.

“You okay, girl?” Jackie asked.

“Yeah. Excuse me.” Gigi stood up and made her way through the crowd to the bathroom. The bathroom was fairly empty save for a drunk girl and her friend comforting her in French. Gigi braced her hands on the sink and took a deep breath, calming herself down. She had suddenly felt dizzy, but she was pretty sure it wasn’t the alcohol talking. Nicky wasn’t hers, she never had been, yet why did the sight of her with a girl upset her so much? Nicky was a grown woman, she was allowed to do as she pleased. Gigi felt a sudden surge of contempt for the other girl, though she reminded herself that it wasn’t the girl’s fault. So why did she feel this way? Why did Nicky make her so goddamn nervous? She knew the truth deep down, but she didn’t want it to be true. She reminded herself again that this was supposed to be a business relationship, but fuck, Nicky sure didn’t make it easy. Gigi pulled herself together and touched up her lipstick. With a nod to the pair of drunk girls, she went back out into the heat of the bar. Nicky and the girl were nowhere to be seen.

“Hey.” Crystal said as Gigi sat down. She had joined Jackie and Jan at the bar.

“Hey.”

“You seen Nicky anywhere?”

“Nope.” Gigi ordered another drink.

Dahlia and the man she’d been kissing walked up to the group. “We’re gonna head out. See you guys later. Nice meeting you, Gigi.” she said, practically hanging off of the man.

“See you.” the girls said as the couple left the bar. 

Nicky reappeared with her lipstick smudged and her hair somewhat mussed, noticeably drunker than before. The other girl was not with her. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Jackie said. “We’re probably gonna make our way home.” She indicated herself, Jackie, and Crystal.

“Alright, see you guys later.”

“Bye.” Nicky sat down next to Gigi at the bar. She rubbed her temple with one hand. “Do you just want to come home with me?”

Gigi, who was no better than Nicky in terms of drunkenness, agreed. The two left the bar and took off their heels, carrying them in their hands as they walked down the sidewalk barefoot, giggling and falling on one another the whole way. They made their way back into the metro, getting off at another station. They got to Nicky’s building and took the elevator up to Nicky’s floor. The girls giggled and shushed each other jokingly as they stumbled to Nicky’s apartment. It took her three tries, but she got the door open eventually. Nicky took her into the bedroom, where they both put their shoes down and collapsed into the bed.

“Goodnight, Gigi Goode.” Nicky giggled.

“Goodnight, Nicky Doll.” Gigi giggled. She closed her eyes, all negative feelings towards Nicky left behind at the bar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all, tell me what you think! Of course I'm devastated about Nicky's elimination, but I'm excited to see what she does outside of the show and curious to see if they're going to do that thing where they give the eliminated queens a chance to come back a la Trixie Mattel.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y’all! I’m back on my bullshit! Tell me what you think of the story and this new pairing! Also come talk to me on tumblr @ao3randomaquarius


End file.
